


Overdose

by Starofwinter



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Hallucinations, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, M/M, Post-Episode: s04e07 Darkness on Umbara, Stimulants, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 11:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11919849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starofwinter/pseuds/Starofwinter
Summary: Rex handles the aftermath of Umbara badly, and no one realizes until it's too late.





	Overdose

Cody makes his way through the barracks, troopers all but jumping out of his way when they see him storming through the halls.  He isn’t sure _where_ the feeling crawling along his spine is coming from, but he doesn't _like_ it.  Hells, if he didn’t know better, he’d wonder if he isn’t catching the general’s Force-sensitivity.  All he understands is that someone - _Rex_ , it has to be Rex because who else would he _feel_ like this, but they’re on _Coruscant_ , they’re supposed to be _safe_ \- is in danger.  

The door to Rex’s quarters - barely more than a closet, really, but officers nominally got their own rooms - slides open at Cody’s touch and he freezes in the doorway, his eyes on his partner.  “Rex…”

Rex is curled up in the corner, his back to the wall, hands over his ears as he shakes himself apart, badly enough that it’s visible from across the room.  “I can hear them,” he whispers, his voice hoarse, “I wasn’t supposed to be able to hear them if I’m  _ awake _ .”  He puts his head back down, nearly jumping out of his skin when Cody drops to his knees in front of him, gently taking his wrists.  

“Hear who, cyare?  What are you talking about?”  He manages to guide Rex’s hands away from his head, wincing as he sees the red lines scratched into his skin.  “Kriff, Rex, you’re burning up.  What happened?  You take something?”  Has he been poisoned?   _ Fuck. _

The shake of his head is almost convulsive, and his eyes dart past Cody, unfocused, his pupils dilated enough that only the thinnest gold ring is visible.  It’s clear he’s tracking  _ something _ that wasn’t there, and Cody isn’t sure he wants to know what that was.  “Just stims.”  The fact that he’s coherent enough for an answer is a good sign, hopefully, but  _ stims _ couldn’t do this on their own, not in the normal doses.  Cody settles back on his heels and keys in a comm code.  He needs backup on this.  

“Commander Cody?”  He could crt with relief at Kix’s voice, even if the total lack of reaction from Rex only worries him more.  

He swallows hard, his voice dropping to barely audible.  “Sergeant, I need you to get to Rex’s quarters immediately with a kit.  Don’t tell  _ anyone _ .”  

The response is immediate.  “I’m on my way, sir.  What am I looking at here?”

“Stims, it looks like an overdose, a bad one.  Vod,  _ please _ hurry.”  Cody isn’t above begging, not when he’s scared out of his mind for the man he loves so damned much.  

Kix’s voice is quiet and distant as he swears viciously.  “Alright, I’ll be there in a second, I’m putting together a kit.  What are his symptoms?”  He still manages to sound calm, despite the curses.  It’s reassuring, in the way Kix always is.  The whole galaxy could be self-destructing, and Kix will be an irritable bastard of a medic.

“Came in and he said he was hearing somebody, he’s watching-  kriff, Kix, he’s hallucinating, watching something I can’t see.  He’s got a fever too, dilated pupils, it’s… it’s really damn bad.”  Cody runs a hand through his hair as he tries to get a handle on his own fear, glancing at Rex again.  He’s shaking and rocking a little, his hand pressed over his ears, his eyes shut tight.  Cody sets his comm aside with trembling hands after Kix promises to get there as soon as possible.  He goes to sit next to Rex - it breaks his heart just how quickly his partner buries himself in his side, and he bows his head, shushing him gently, running his fingers over Rex’s close-cropped hair as he shushes him.  

“I’m sorry,” Rex whispers between shaky breaths, “I’m sorry, Cody, I should’ve told you, I should have stopped it, I-”

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, cyare, it’s okay, I’m not upset with you.”  He  _ was _ , but it was overridden, for now, with fear.  Cody’s heart is hammering so hard in his chest that it threatens to steal his breath away.  “It’s okay, it’s not your fault.  It was never your fault.”  He doesn’t know how to help this - he can’t protect the man he loves more than anything in the damned galaxy, and that knowledge scares the hells out of him.  “Just stay with me, we’re going to make this right, yeah?  I promise we will.”   Little gods, he hopes he isn’t lying to Rex.

* * *

The door opens and Kix steps inside, cursing under his breath as he sees the two of them.  Rex doesn’t acknowledge his presence after the initial jolt at the sound of the door.  He’s watching something in the far corner again, and Cody wishes he could see what his partner does.  “Do you know what he took?” Kix asks, and Cody shakes his head.

“He said it was just stims, I haven’t been able to get anything else out of him,” he says, trying to keep the fear out of his voice and expression.  He’s pretty sure he’s failing, but he has to try anyway.  “Can you help him?”

Kix doesn’t answer, focusing on Rex.  “Come on, Captain, eyes on me,” he orders, and Cody absently thinks that Kix has an officer’s tone when he wants to, “I need you with me, alright?”  

Rex blinks, his eyes still unfocused as he turns to Kix slowly, the movement jerky as his body continues to shake.  “What- why are you here?” he asks, “I- I’m okay.”

“Like hells you are, sir,” Kix says simply, “Commander Cody here comm’d me after he found you.  Can you tell me what you took, and how much?”  He cups Rex’s chin, holding him steady while he checks his reactions, and the captain doesn’t fight it; that lack of resistance tells Cody a lot about just how bad off he is.  

“Dunno - take- take ‘em more often lately?  I dunno.”  Rex looks confused and frustrated, and Cody reaches out to rest a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.  “Stopped working, needed more.”

“You’ve been taking them since Umbara?” Kix asks, and at Rex’s nod, he sighs heavily, clearly biting back a lecture, “No kriffing wonder they haven’t been working, you built up a tolerance to them, it’s how they metabolize.  You overdosed on them, you’re damned lucky you haven’t had a seizure, as bad as you look.  I’m gonna need you to get him to the medbay, Commander, I can’t treat this here.”

Rex’s eyes go wide, and he starts to struggle as Cody carefully holds him close to his chest to keep his partner from injuring himself - or either of them.  “No-  No, I can’t, I can’t- they’ll have me decommissioned if they find out-”  He keeps trying to escape, but as weakened as he is by exhaustion and illness, he’s no match for Cody.  

“Udesii, vod, no one’s going to decommission you, I swear it.”  Kix’s tone is firm as he makes the promise, and his eyes meet Cody’s for a long moment, both of them making a silent, solid agreement.  Even if they can’t keep this a secret,  _ no one _ will take Rex away.  He’s Cody’s  _ riduur _ , and Kix’s captain.  Both of them would be fiercely loyal even if that wasn’t the case, but since it is… no one will lay a hand on Rex without blood being spilled.  

Cody nods his agreement.  “Cyare, it’s alright.  I’ll be right there there - no one will hurt you.”  He runs his fingers through Rex’s short hair, trying to ground him a little.  “And you know your general, Skywalker won’t let anyone so much as think about taking you, yeah?  Who else is gonna go along with his crazy schemes?”  

Rex doesn’t respond to that, but he does let Cody lift him; it’s  _ terrifying _ how light he is now, and Cody doesn’t understand how any of them missed this for so long.  He knows how it will look, carrying the captain of the 501st to the medbay while Rex rests his head on his shoulder, shaking apart in his arms; the only reason he knows Rex isn’t seizing is that Kix would be far more worried than he already is.  That thought, somehow, isn’t much of a comfort.  Distantly, Cody thinks that when he has a moment, he very much wants to cry - or  _ rage _ , there is so much  _ fury _ boiling in his blood, at Rex (as unfounded as that anger is), at everyone who didn’t realize how bad this was (himself included), at Krell, at the GAR, at everything that had led to his beloved pushing himself so far past his limits that he was breaking apart in Cody’s arms.  For now, he lets the calm detachment of the battlefield take over.  

“You can put him there, might be a good idea to hold onto him, too.”  Kix’s voice sounds as detached as Cody feels, but the look in his eyes mirrors Cody’s thoughts.  They’re both scared shitless, and he doesn’t know how they’re going to put Rex’s pieces back together - especially not when half of them are still scattered across the hellhole that was Umbara.  “Keep him grounded if you can.”

Cody lays Rex out on the bed as Kix gets Killer’s attention to help.  “Come on, Rex’ika, stay with me, alright?  How am I supposed to keep our generals in one piece without you?”   _ How am I supposed to do anything without you at my back, cyare? _  He shoves that thought down ruthlessly.  Rex will be back with him within the week, nothing takes down Captain Rex of the 501st.  Not even a kriffing Sep sniper had taken him down for more than a few days.  He looks down at the man he loves more than life itself, tan skin turned gray and pallid, the beautiful eyes Cody loves to see lighting up with his laughter darting around the empty medbay as he watches the ghosts that haunt him.  It’s like Rex doesn’t even hear him, and that breaks Cody’s heart.  

The repetition of  _ ni ceta, ni ceta, ni ceta _ had faded away, but Cody watches Rex’s lips move as he says it over and over, apologizing for… what, exactly, Cody doesn’t know.   He runs his fingers through the short brush of his beloved’s hair, swallowing hard.  “Udesii, cyare, cin vhetin.  You're forgiven.”   He wasn't sure if Rex would believe him, or if he even heard what Cody was trying to tell him, but he had to try anyway.   Rex always tried to take on too much; he blamed himself for so many things that weren't his fault, and Cody worries that the weight of it all has finally broken his riduur.   He doesn't think about what will happen to Rex if that's the case.   He  _ can't _ think about that.   About Rex on Kamino, destroyed or worse, reconditioned - a shell of the man Cody has fallen in love with, everything that makes him wonderfully  _ Rex  _ gone.  

“We'll bring him back, Commander, I promise.”  Kix's voice sounds hollow, but his eyes are kind as he glances at Cody.  Cody knows he’ll do anything in his power to keep Rex with them - his riduur’s men are loyal and good, and any one of them would die for Rex.  Kriff, he loves them like his own.  As Kix goes back to working on Rex, trying to get him stable, Killer reaches out to touch Cody’s shoulder and gives him a reassuring nod, the shy little medic trying to help in his own way before he starts working alongside Kix, the two a seamless team.  If there’s anyone he would trust Rex to, it’s them.

There’s nothing to do but wait, and Cody  _ hates _ waiting.  He keeps talking to Rex, even after his riduur slips into blessed unconsciousness.  Cody’s heart stops as he goes still and limp, but Kix pauses long enough to tell him he only gave him a sedative - Rex will have a much better chance if he’s not fighting his own mind while his body struggles to keep up with how much he’s been pushing it.  Cody takes his hand, bringing Rex’s scarred knuckles to his lips, tears stinging his eyes and burning as they run down his cheeks.  He manages to keep himself quiet, but his shoulders shake as he bows his head, begging for his husband’s life.

Eventually, Kix and Killer have done all they can, and Kix explains, in easy enough terms, what chance Rex has - it looks good, he says, but they won’t know till Rex wakes up.  The sergeant is honest, and Cody appreciates that; it scares the hell out of him, knowing what the complications could be, but it’s better than  _ not _ knowing.  

The room is finally quiet and empty, save for the two of them, and Cody falls into a haze himself as the adrenaline wears off.   His eyes never leave Rex.  It’s not the first time he’s sat here, with his  _ riduur _ in a medbay bed, but… it’s the first time Rex has ended up there by his own hand.  The thought makes him choke back another sob.  Why hadn’t Rex said anything?  Why was he trying to carry all that on his own shoulders?   “Dammit, Rex, why don’t you kriffing  _ talk  _ about this shit?” he whispers.  He just wants to  _ understand _ .   It would be a hells of a lot easier to understand if Rex was awake to talk to him, but Kix assures Cody that he’s going to be kept sedated until the worst of it has passed.  That doesn’t reassure him, but hells, it’s better than seeing the look on Rex’s face while he listens to the accusations from within his own mind.

He jumps to his feet when Skywalker strides in, the general’s eyes wide and worried as he catches sight of Rex lying on the bed.  “Sir,” Cody says quickly, “I didn’t know you were coming.”  He’s trying desperately to think of a way to explain this that won’t end with his husband being sent back to Kamino.  He knows Rex trusts Skywalker, and so does his own general, but  _ he _ doesn’t know the man.  

“I got here as soon as I heard.  Is Rex alright?”  General Skywalker looks damn near terrified, glancing between the two of them.  Kriff, the man is out of breath and flushed, like he ran the whole way from the Temple.  

“I-  Sergeant Kix said he should be, General.  We just won’t know till he wakes up.”  Cody forces his voice not to shake, and he tries to brush the tears from his cheeks.  It just doesn’t do for an officer to see him crying.  He looks up when he feels a hand on his shoulder, and Skywalker squeezes lightly.  “You're not going to-” Cody swallows hard, “I know I don't have any authority to ask you this, but I'm begging you.   Please don't send him for reconditioning.”  The thoughts rise into his mind again unbidden, and he swallows back a surge of nausea.  Fuck, this is a general, he needs to lock it down, and fast. 

Skywalker looks stricken when Cody finally looks up at him.  “Reconditioned?  Cody… I would  _ never _ send anyone for reconditioning, no matter what.”  His tone is fierce and determined as he says it, and Cody believes him with all his heart, if only for a moment.   _ So this is why Rex trusts him, _ a distant part of him muses.  Instead of answering the general, he just nods before looking back at Rex as his  _ riduur _ starts to toss and turn restlessly, the heart monitor starting to beep more rapidly.  

Skywalker reaches out, resting a hand on Rex’s forehead and closing his eyes.  A line appears between his brows, but it fades along with Rex’s movements, just as Kix hurries over.   “He’s okay,” the general says, sitting back, a pallor to his skin that wasn’t there before, his eyes a little haunted, like he got a peek into whatever Rex had been seeing, “Just a nightmare.”

Kix sighs, checking the monitors again before he brushes Rex’s shoulder.  “He’s made of stronger stuff than you think, Commander.  He’ll make it, don’t worry.”

Cody holds onto that hope.  Rex  _ will _ get better.  It’s going to take work and a lot of worrying, but if anyone will survive this, it’s his beloved.  Until then, Cody will wait, and have faith in the man he loves more than life itself.  Rex will be fine.  

**Author's Note:**

> There may be a sequel, but I've been working on this for the better part of a year and I'm ready to be done.


End file.
